177 vs 22 cal for springers

[rangur1]

In spring or gas piston, is 177 louder or quieter than 22 cal? Basically does either one have a louder "bark" to it, or are they pretty much the same. Part 2 , which has a farther effective range? I'm thinking 177 since it's smaller surface area from same power , however less mass will drag it down faster, so which is it? or are the 2 calibers the same?

 

[peaceful_ruler]

Sound=toss up, most of the noise is from the spring action itself...
Effective range=....The .22 has the advantage of greater momentum whereas the .177 has the advantage of a flatter trajectory, especially past 40 meters. In my opinion, in sub 12 ft/lb springers the .177 has the advantage. For a 13-17 ft/lb springer, I believe it's a tossup. IMO

 

[Sqwirl57]

My .22 97K sounds quieter to my ear than my .177 97K but down range I'm not positive that that holds true. It may just be the powerplant I'm hearing.

 

[maxtrouble]

I have .177 and .22 springers and they both have the same power plant sound. The big difference between the two calibers is downrange. A 12 foot pound .177 will zip through both sides of a can at 50 yards. A 12 foot pound .22 hits like a truck compared to the .177 on a can. The .22 is going slower and loopier than the .177 and will not zip through the can, it hits the side and dumps all the energy.

I suggest owning at least one .22 springer for plinking. They really give the cans some what for. Never thought I would like 600 fps rifles but never say never!

 

[EMrider]

Have owned both and did not notice any difference in sound. IMHO, 'effective range' means the distance over which I get good and repeatable accuracy. On that basis, I much prefer the flatter trajectory of .177.

R

 

[Hateful McNasty]

Downrange , energy, knockdown, killing .22..

Also not as bad affected by wind near as bad. Another thing i know a 800+ fps .22 beats one thats not.. straighter / flatter shot and retains enegry as you go out..

Nothing wrong with any in .177 or .22 depending on your intended use. Like a .177 springer i have shoot to 100 in to paper but at that same 100 the 800+ fps .22 will rip holes in to a pellet tin the .177 @ 850 barely little dings..

That report on any drpends on the guns barrel and if or not got a baffle system ..

My .22 gamo whisper fusion and hatsan qe if far less report then any straight non baffled barrel like my .177 r9 for example.

In the end it comes down to using stuff and drawing your own conclusion on what you think works best for your use or a particular use .

 

[Mycapt65]

What do you want to do with this springer might influence people's answer. IMO sometimes one caliber is as practical as another. That said given the same powerplant the 22 will be more docile in shot cycle and report.

At the same time I'd never buy a 22 Hw30 or a 177 Hw80. IMO The Hw30 is not enough gun for the caliber and you'll have a mortar. Fun for plinking set distances. Too loopy to make shooting varied distances fun. Now IMO the Hw80 is too much gun in 177. It'll be flat shooting but it'll be loud, harsh and not as easily controlled as the same rifle in 22.

 

[Windmill01]

Maybe Crow could answer the trajectory dilemma for us as he owns many springers with the same power plant but different calibers. I’ve owned two Benjamin Titans in 177 and 22 cal and when they were new I recall there was only about half an inch difference at 30 metres with 10 gr and 14 gr pellets (this was before I changed the ram in the 22 cal)
There was a post some time back that showed the difference utilising one of those apps.
Gary

 

[boscoebrea]

Been said that the sound was because the pellet traveling past the sound barrier, is that really true? If so that would answer your question.
Not enough difference for signaling out a choice.
Years ago people would get the .20 ,as I did. Can you shoot accurately enough for you to tell the difference between a .177 or .22?
Some people call this exercise minding screwing.
Um,Um,relax and do not get caught in this circle,=it is more what you really what to do with the pellet rifle than what the rifle wants to do with you,
Of course, we are all learning,so it's all good,
I admit I just had a good session with my so-fine psych,she told me to not over-think-things,Um,Um.

 

[MartyMcFly]

The .177 will have flatter trajectory BUT the .22 will be easier to load, be slightly less noisy at the same FPE and the recoil will be milder. This is assuming that you keep all other variables the same.

-Marty

 

[crosman2016]

The heavier pellet will carry more energy to the target, in my humble opinion. My .22's most certainly hit harder than any of my .177's. My .177's shoot "flatter", but lose energy faster (and get beat around by wind), than my .22's.

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

Many of the magnum 177’s, especially with alloy pellets can break the sound barrier. I had a Beeman R1 in 177 that shot a 7 grain lead pellet around 1150 fps. Sounded like a 22 lr. There are most likely 22’s that can do this now also.

 

[mobilemail]

I prefer to go with .177 for target, generally staying sub 14 fpe. For hunting a .22 17-20 fpe gun does a great job, although admittedly the Diana 34 at 15-16 fpe has a very successful track record.
And if you only intend to buy and own one springer (HAHAHAHAHAHA Right!!!) and not shooting any kind of competition I would go .22. Beware the man with one gun who knows how to use it.

 

[rangur1]

The .177 will have flatter trajectory BUT the .22 will be easier to load, be slightly less noisy at the same FPE and the recoil will be milder. This is assuming that you keep all other variables the same.

-Marty

That was EXACTLY what I was asking about.

 

[Frogy]

I prefer to go with .177 for target, generally staying sub 14 fpe. For hunting a .22 17-20 fpe gun does a great job, although admittedly the Diana 34 at 15-16 fpe has a very successful track record.
And if you only intend to buy and own one springer (HAHAHAHAHAHA Right!!!) and not shooting any kind of competition I would go .22. Beware the man with one gun who knows how to use it.

One springer. Lol that’s what I thought 5 springers ago

 

[MartyMcFly]

One springer. Lol that’s what I thought 5 springers ago

A common problem around here, many of us are running out of room to hide them from the wife

-Marty

 

[thumper]

For the "more energy downrange" crowd.....remember that penetration is what matters, and a fatter faced pellet needs more energy to penetrate the same amount as a smaller diameter pellet. You aren't concussing a squirrel to death with 12-20fpe, same as you don't do it with a 98fpe round nosed rimfire round. Something to keep in mind.

It also doesn't matter how much energy you have retained if the pellet hits the dirt in front of the target.

Noise will be a negligible consideration between the two calibers.

If you are talking Weihrauchs, the .177 barrels will almost always be better than their .22s, which are sometimes useless in my experience.

Power level and intended use need to be decided upfront. If you are planning to be competitive at most any target discipline, .177 is the answer without debate. For hunting, either works at normal airgun ranges.

For just putzing around the yard it doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

 

[coop709]

I own four Beeman R1’s. One in .177 tuned to 12 ft/lbs, one in .177 full power, one in .20, and one in .22. The 12 ft/lb gun is quieter, but that is to be expected. However, given the mass of the moving parts the parts oscillate after the shot. There is no twang, you can actually feel the spring going front to back, probably piston bounce. All of the full powered guns have about the same report, it’s the same action... In ft/lbs however, the .177 gun is lacking, even when shooting heavier pellets than the .20. Discounting pellet weights and just shooting what each gun shoots well, it falls out as follows:

caliber weight in gr ft/lbs
.177 10.34 13.22
.20 11.42 18.86
.22 14.35 16.96

The .177 gun kills on both ends because it is so harsh. The .20 and .22 guns are both very smooth. The .177 and .20 guns both have the same Vortek kit in them. The .22 was professionally tuned. I don’t recommend an R1 in .177. I don’t think its a good fit. I don‘t recommend it in .25 either though, because I had that and sold it. The velocity fell off way too much. The .177’s are fine. You are just wasting a large power plant. The .20 is my favorite, but .22 is not bad and much easier to find pellets for.

Just my two cents, your mileage may vary.

RS

 

[FarmPlinker]

Get a .20, and sneer at the rabble with their Wal-Mart calibers.
Actually, I need to get a .20 so I can do that.....

 

[Mycapt65]

I own four Beeman R1’s. One in .177 tuned to 12 ft/lbs, one in .177 full power, one in .20, and one in .22. The 12 ft/lb gun is quieter, but that is to be expected. However, given the mass of the moving parts the parts oscillate after the shot. There is no twang, you can actually feel the spring going front to back, probably piston bounce. All of the full powered guns have about the same report, it’s the same action... In ft/lbs however, the .177 gun is lacking, even when shooting heavier pellets than the .20. Discounting pellet weights and just shooting what each gun shoots well, it falls out as follows:

caliber weight in gr ft/lbs
.177 10.34 13.22
.20 11.42 18.86
.22 14.35 16.96

The .177 gun kills on both ends because it is so harsh. The .20 and .22 guns are both very smooth. The .177 and .20 guns both have the same Vortek kit in them. The .22 was professionally tuned. I don’t recommend an R1 in .177. I don’t think its a good fit. I don‘t recommend it in .25 either though, because I had that and sold it. The velocity fell off way too much. The .177’s are fine. You are just wasting a large power plant. The .20 is my favorite, but .22 is not bad and much easier to find pellets for.

Just my two cents, your mileage may vary.

RS

RS try lighter pellets in 177 R1. Heavy for caliber pellets often hurt springer efficiency. My R1 with a full power kit makes about 17fpe with 8.44/8.64 and only about 14 with 10.65.

Also on your 22 R1 if you're using 14.35 JSBs you might get a significant bump in power with H&N FTT 14.66. Almost all of the half dozen of 22 Weihrauchs I've worked on made more power with FTTs over any of the JSBs. Even the lighter JSBs. I'm not sure why. I think it may be something to do with JSBs very thin skirts.

20 caliber is a toss up. My R1 makes almost a full pound more power in 20 with H&N 11.42 than either JSB pellets. However my 20 caliber R9 produces similar energy with JSB 13.73 and FTT 11.42. Both 20 caliber R1 and R9 lose significant power and accuracy with the JSB heavies.

Fwiw, my R1 with different barrels on the same day, with the same guts makes about.
17 fpe in 177
18 fpe in 20
19 fpe in 22
The increase in power(efficiency) is due to the surface area of the bore. Not the weight of the pellets.

For the sake of the thread's purpose, my R1 is a easier and nicer gun to shoot in 22 than other calibers. 177 is the worst mannered. So this an apples to apples caliber comparison because it's the exact same power plant.

Anyway just something to try. HTH somebody else here as well.

Ron